| Vatican City, 3 September 2012 (VIS) —The Law of God, which finds complete fulfillment in love, provided the theme for Benedict XVI’s remarks before praying the Angelus today with faithful gathered in the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo. Commenting on today’s reading from the Gospel of St. Mark, in which the Pharisees reproach Jesus’ disciples for not following the norms of Mosaic Law, the Pope explained that God’s Law “is His Word, which guides mankind along the path of life, freeing them from the slavery of selfishness and introducing them into the ‘land’ of authentic freedom and life. It is for this reason that, in the Bible, the Law is not seen as a burden, … but as the Lord’s most precious gift, … (an expression of) His desire to remain alongside His people, and to be their Ally”. Yet when the people settle in the Promised Land and become the depositories of the Law, they are tempted “to place their safety and their happiness in something which is no longer the Word of the Lord: in material goods and in power, other ‘divinities’ which are, in fact, empty and futile idols. Of course, the Law of God remains, but it is no longer so important, no longer the rule of life; rather it becomes a facade, a covering, while life follows other paths, other rules, often selfish individual and group interests. In this way religion loses its authentic meaning … and is reduced to a secondary habit which satisfies the need human beings have to feel they have done right before God.” “This is a serious risk in every religion, one which Jesus encountered in His own time, and unfortunately it can also arise in Christianity. Thus Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel against the Scribes and Pharisees must make us think. Jesus repeats the words of Isaiah: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrine’. … In his Letter, the Apostle James also warns against the danger of false religiosity,” the Holy Father concluded. After praying the Angelus, Benedict XVI greeted, among others, a group of pilgrims from Lebanon, expressing his delight at the prospect of his forthcoming visit to that country. |
Of course, the wonderful and Holy Father, was looking straight at us here in America when he said this. I thank God that we have such a Holy, Spirit-filled pope leading us. +JMJ+
Amen. Praise the Lord. God Bless Our Dear Pope Benedict XVI
Many CCD readers and posters would be wise to ponder and take Pope Benedict’s comments to heart! Particularly those who regularly condemn anyone who does not view the world and the Church as they do!
FHKJ, Do you mean the way you are condemning faithful Catholics who defend Tradition, Scripture and the Magisterium?
FHKJ, you fail to understand what the Pope has said. Your rant is nothing but a common cliche’, a one liner political slogan, designed to excuse you from personal responsibility for sin.
I like the part where the Pope says the problem occurs not only in Catholicism but in other religions. What a challenge, to help those in other religions find the truth, the charity in them !!! Only way to do this is to find the charity in one’s Catholic life. It is the way Catholicism has converted souls to Christ from day one.
To stay close to the teachings of Jesus, we must; read, know, frequently review, and then live by –
HOLY SCRIPTURE and the CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition.
Let us all pray for Pope Benedict, our Bishops, and our Priests on a daily basis.
Phariseeism is ineed a temptation to in our world. This also includes the Church itself, and part of the challenge of today is that Church teaching itself be consistely reviewed to ensure that it is truly coming from God and not the precepts of men. Much discord in our Church emanates from this struggle to truly define what is from God and what is from men…i.e., Church leaders.
goodcause, Church teaching comes from God through men. You can always trust the Church. God expects you to obey because “he who hears you hears me.” The discord comes from distrust and disobedience.
k,
So those in St. Athanasius’s time were in your opinion wrong when they followed St. Athanasius the Great, Doctor of the Church. Those Vendee who refused to follow the apostate clergy of France were wrong as well. I could go on and on, but this will suffice for now.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
No St Athanasius was following the Pope and the true teachings of the Church so his followers were fine.
And no, the Vendee who refused to follow the apostate clergy were correct. Most of the faithful clergy were martyred. They stayed with the Pope and with Church’s teaching. That is what I am telling goodcause. You can trust the Pope and the Church’s teaching even though it comes through a man. Even Holy Scripture came through man but it is the Word of God. The Faith and the Life is “handed down to us, in an unbroken line, from Our Lord’s consecration and commissioning of Saint Peter and with him, the College of Apostles.” (Cardinal Raymond Burke)
k, in order to trust the Church, you first have to be able to recognize who is the Church.
goodcause, the teachings of the Church in the CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition insures that Catholics will know the TRUTH.
Christ’s Truth does not change.
The truth can be twisted in everyday life by people who twist the truth or leave out important elements of the Faith.
REGARDING FAITH & MORALS – – –
I have read a Catholic Bible from cover to cover;
I have read Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas written in the 1200;
I have read the Catechism of the Council of Trent written in the 1500’s for Priests to teach laity.
I have read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Editon” written for the entire world.
– – – – – and there are NO contradictions amongst these critial and important CHURCH documents used for teaching from the beginning of Christ’s Church through our present time.
.
Thank you MIKE, I too, read all of those books. But, I am still reminded of one thing: God’s Law is His Word. His Word is a Person, The Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus. That is what all those books say. Christ’s Truth.
I really enjoyed reading these words of the Holy Father. Please report more on what he says every day. His words are so needed, they’re like rain on parched earth. Thanks again.
If CCD doesn’t have them, Catholic News Service or Catholic News Agency or Zenit or EWTN do.
They’re all on the Vatican website.
Praise to Almighty God , for our beloved Pope Bennedict xv1, I really enjoyed reading these words of the Holy Father, his words are so needed, Amen .
I wonder how much he has been effected by the betrayal by his butler. This reminds me of this as did his message against insincerity.
To “Dianne”
And how “parched we are. I love your analogy. Let the rain fall on us.
The Second Edition of the Catechism is Not the only approved catechism of the Catholic Church..re-read Pope JPII Introduction to the Catechism….and there are several offical sources for “offical Catholic Teaching” Code of Canon Law…etc…Most importantly the Pope and the magisterim.
“false religiosity”
by coincidence, one of our priests preached on this very danger this week also.
those who cloak themselves in outward piety, but are like alligators in their hearts.
reminds me of a country western song about a preacher who “spoke about God’s love, but there was brimstone in his eyes…”
tHERE CANNOT BE ANY ERROR IN THE TEACHINGS OF THE cATHOLIC CHURCH,THEREFORE THAT IS WHY THE POPE IS IN FALLIBLE. HE CANNOT MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN HE SPEAKS ON RELIGION. hE IS GUIDED BY THE hOLY sPIRIT. wHAT A BEAUTIGUL CHURCH WE HAVE AND TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE BREATH OF GOD WHEN WE READ THE HOLY BIBLE, AS GOD’S WORD TO US IS HIS BREATH.